Avatars as a means of exploring self identity

Until doing a significant amount of research related to Avatar use in Education I never thought of Avatars as an anything more than icons that people can create for online gaming. Upon exploring different Avatar creators and the variety of resources out there that allow students to create their own Avatars for different purposes, it became clear to me that using Avatars in the classroom could prove to be very beneficial. Not only do Avatars allow people to present themselves as they perceive themselves but it also allows them to explore other identities and it allows them to express themselves in different ways and experiment with a variety of different looks. However, a student may personalize their Avatar to look very different than they actually look and should this be a red flag, indicating that they are unhappy with who they are or want to change themselves to look more like someone else. Also, when using Avatar's in the classroom, how do we guide our students in creating them so as to ensure that they are not making their characters so unlike themselves that they could possibly offend other students. As such, I think that although Avatars can prove to be a great tool in encouraging students to reflect on themselves and explore alternate identities I think it is important to have discussions surrounding race, gender and sexuality and emphasise to students the importance of being appropriate in their selection and true to themselves so as not to harm others or make others feel like their personal story is a joke. Everything can work so long as there exist appropriate guidelines!